Gorny & Mosch, D-Munich

17. October 2012 - 19. October 2012

Auctions 209: Medieval and Modern Times

Medieval and Modern Times spring a surprise at Gorny & Mosch

Auction 209: Medieval and Modern Times at Gorny & Mosch proved that beauty is particularly being requested – and paid for. Although the coins and medals from medieval and modern times did not fetch quite the same high prices as the ancient ones, the final prices were still of note. To look at a few examples: an extremely fine to FDC quintuple Bavarian ducat of Maximilian I from 1640 of the refortification of the city of Munich sold for 12,650 EUR (Estimate: 7,500 EUR) …

… and an undated Ulm ducat from 1647 sold for 27,600 EUR (Estimate: 15,000 EUR). This last price realized for the very fine, slightly bent piece with light file marks around the edge is actually downright modest when one considers the fact that this rarity last came on the market during the thirties. Following a somewhat lean period, gold and silver coins of the German Empire have bounced back strongly. This is evident not just in the expensive premium pieces, but also at average prices; the overall estimate was a very realistic 82,000 EUR, but total final sale prices were more in the range of 120,000 EUR. Of almost 180 pieces, only two were not sold. And the prices were quite reasonable throughout. To give just one example, a 20-mark 1903 piece from Waldeck-Pyrmont, with a scratch in very fine to FDC, was estimated at 5,500 EUR. It ultimately sold for 6,900 EUR.There were several special collections to be found among the European coins, such as a collection of Polish coins from the estate of Adolf Kargel. The consignor should be more than satisfied with the outcome – the final accepted price of 62,000 EUR was practically three times the original estimate of 24,500 EUR.

Also particularly worth highlighting here is a 1699 medal of Augustus I by M. H. Omeis of the capture of the fortress of Kamieniec-Podolsk. Despite an original estimate of 4,000 EUR, its new owner had to pay a significantly higher 8,050 EUR. Except for three lots, everything was sold, and mostly – even just in the two-to three-figure range – for multiples of the estimate. A batch of Chinese commemorative coins after 1979 experienced much the same sort of results. Estimates here were already quite reasonable, but even so, there were outliers when it came to certain pieces. Take, for example, a bi-metal coin minted on the occasion of the 1996 Munich International Coins Fair – the piece of 1/4 ounce gold and 1/8 ounce silver, estimated at 500 EUR, sold instead for 1,840 EUR.